Process for obtaining a continuous flow of so2 from white metal



W. H. HOWARD.

PROCESS FOR OBTAINING A CONTIUOUS-FLOW OF 802 FROM WH| TE METAL APPLlCATlON FILED MAR- 10, 1920.

1,377,013, I Patented May 3, 1921.

S 1.7. l J

TTORA/EI/S A-TEJNT 1 OFFICE.

WILLIAIVI H. HOWARD, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN SMELTING AND REFINING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N Y., A CORPORA- TION OF NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS FOR OBTAINING A CONTINUOUS 'FLOW 0F SO: FROM WHITE METAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 10, 1920. Serial No. 364,836.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIAM H. HOWARD,

' a citizen of the United States, and resident form of instrumentality for economically and efiiciently practising the method fea-'" ture of the present disclosure.

' It has been suggested in my prior application on process for recoverin sul ur dioxid, Serial No. 233,640, filed M ay 10, 1918,

that copper matte be treated in one set of converters until reaches what is known as white metal, and at which stage the converter gas is of a character to permit the profitable recovery 'of .the sulfur dioxid therefrom and then this white metal be removed to a separate converter or preferably a plurality of converters in which the recovery process is carried on. The present disclosure const tutes an improvement over the method suggestedin the above identified application wherein the necessity for I removing the white metal from one converter into another has been avoided and the method is carried on continuously in one converter or rather in a battery of such converters so as to insure the continuity of auniform supply.

One of the objects of the invention thereforeis to provide a continuous supply of high grade sulfur dioxid gas with the elimination of the carrying from one'place to another of hot material and .the avoidance of resulting temperature losses.

Broadly, I attain these objects by separating the sulfur containing materlal, such as the copper matte mentioned intobatches and successively treating each batch to apreliminary blowing operatilon as 1s usual in copper converting to blow off the gases which are low in sulfur dioxid content, and

then to continue the blow to drive off and retain the gases which are relatively high in sulfur dloxld content. The operation on each succeeding batch is carried on in such a timed sequence thatfleach succeeding batch will be producing gas at the desired richness of sulfur dioxid' content .by the time the gas from the preceding batch is beginning to fall below the desired content of sulfur dioxidgas.

In one commercially perfected'plant the low grade gases are caused to discharge into a conduit from which they may be conveyed to a Cottrell plant or bag house, or other devices for suitable treatment usual with gases of this character and thedischarge from the several batches of material under treatment is intercepted when the batches reach that point Where it is desirable to retain the high grade sulfur dioxid content. The high grade sulfur dioxid gases are then directed into some common receptacle or conduit'and suitable control is provided so -Patented May 3, 1921.

that the supply from any one batch may be cut off from the common receptacle when the content of anyone batch falls below the requisite amounts desired in the conduit. Referring to the apparatus features of the disclosure, the primary object of the invention when considering this aspect thereof is to provide a simple form'of plant.

for controlling the different stages of the gas discharge and for providing a simple means for practising the method economically and with the minimum loss of heat or of ases'. I

efer'ring to the accompanying drawings for ya. diagrammatic showing of a plant for practising the method disclosed and for illustrating a preferred'embodiment of the physical features of the invention, the drawingis a diagrammatic view in side Yelevation of a flow 'line in a commercialplant.

In the drawings there is shown a battery of converters 10, herein shown to be four in number which numberhas been found to be admirably adapted to carry out the process in one plant. Each of the converters is connected by means of a hood or end' connectionll, such as is shown in my copending application, Serial ,No. 342,451, filed December 1,- 1919, with a main gas conduit 12 common to all of the converters and leading to a bag house 13 or other receptacle or device'for receiving the high grade gases and dust discharged from the converters. Eachof the conduitsl'l is controlled by valve 14, so that any one of the converters may be'opened at will to the conduit 12, which leads to the sulfur dioXid recovery lant.

Each of the converters is also provided with another gas conveying pipe 15, leading to a condult 17,-for conveying the gases to a dust and fume recovery plant, then wasting to the atmosphere, or directly wasted the converter has reached the -stage known as white metal, at which time the second converter is started and the first converter is opened to the high SO gas supply conduit 12, hen the gas from the first converter begins to fail, tliecharge in the second converter has nearly reached, orhas.

reached the white metal stage; then the gas from this converter isdeliveredto the high SO main, and thefirst converter 1s charged with fresh matte, andthe operation alter nately repeated, so that a. practlcallycontinuous supply of high grade gas is. delivered to the SO recovery plant.

Having thus described my invention, I

- claim 1. In the art of recovering sulfur dio'xid from-White metal, the process, which consists in subjecting a plurality of bodies of copper matte successively to a blowing operation to drive off gases having a relatively low sulfur dioxid content and then continuing the blow through each body to recover gases having a relatively high sulfur dioxid-content, maintaining the sequence of operation in a timed relation to'provide a continuous flow of gases having high sulfur dioxid content from theplurality of bodies of copper matte.

2. In the art ofproviding a continuous supply of gas having a relatively high sulfur dioxid content, the process which consists in treating a batch of copper matte to drive off gases having a relatively low sulfur dioxid content, similarly treating another body-of copper matte in such timed relation to the treatment in the first named body that the removal of low grade sulfur dioxid gas in the second body will be subsequent to the removal in the first named body, blowing said firstnamed body to provide a flow of gas having a relatively high sulfur dioxid content and similarly blowing the second named body in time to maintain it continuation of the flow of high grade sulfur dioXid gas as the flow from the first named body becomes exhausted.

3. In the art of providing for a continuous available to continue the flow into the collecting means as the gases from the first named batch begin to fail in maintaining the supply of high grade gas.

t; In the art of providing for a continuous supply of gas having a relatively high sulfur dioxid content, the process which con sists in subjecting a plurality of sulfur containing substances first to a preliminary treatment to remove gases having a relatively low sulfur dioxid content and then successively subjecting the substances to a treatment to'remove gases having a relatively high sulfur dioxid content and collecting said gases from succeeding batches as the gas supply from a preceding batch begins to fail.

5. In the art of recovering a high grade sulfur dioxid containing ,gas from copper matte, the process which consists in treating a bath of the matte tothe actions of an air blast to drive off gases having a relatively high'sulfur dioxid content, similarly treating. a second batch of matte in time to main tain a continuity of supply when the supply from the first batch falls below a definite sulfur dioxid content and similarly treating a third batch-to maintain the flow from the second batch while permitting the-flow from the first batch to be intercepted.

6. The process of recovering sulfur diQXid from copper matte, which consists in successively treating diiferent'batches of the matte each for a predetermined time to remove the sulfur dioxid therefrom and without interruption between the periods of time, and

continually collecting saidsulfur dioxid to maintain a substant ally constant supply of gas.

7 The process of recoyering sulfur dioXid winch conslsts 1n successively subjecting different batchesof sulfur containing substances to a preliminary treatment to remove gases having a relatively low sulfur dioxid content, thensuccessively treating the different batches to remove gases having a relatively high sulfur dioxid content, and continuously collecting the high grade gases from the different batches asthey successively begin to discharge the high grade gas thereby to maintain a substantially constan supply of gas.

containing substances, the process which consists in successively subjecting different batches of the substances to a preliminary treatment to remove gases having relatively low sulfur dioxid content, then successively treating the different batches to remove gases having a relatively high sulfurdioxid content'said preliminary treatment and the succeeding gas eliminating treatment being continuous with each batch and continuously collecting the high grade gases from the different batches as they successively begin to discharge the high grade'gas thereby to maintain a substantially constant supply of gas.

9; The process of recovering aconstant substantially uniform supply of sulfur dioxid gas which consists intreating a su f- ;of Salt Lake,

ficient quantity ofvwhite metal to give off-a. predetermined quantity of gas having a relatively high and substantially uniform 'sul-' fur dioxid content,. similarly treating an- .othe'rsu'ch quantity in a timed relation to maintain a continuity of the supply of gas from the first named treatment and of ap-' proximately the same composition.

10. In the art of recovering a constant and substantially uniform supply-0f sulfur dioxid from coppermatte the process which consists in successively .;blowing different portions of the matte until the gases produced from each portion have apredetermined composition,continuing the blow for a eriod of time to rec'over the gas having said' desired composition, .said periods of time being continuous and one following the other in order, whereby a continuous flow of gas is obtained having a substantially uniform coin osition. Signed at alt Lake City, in the county and State of'Utah this 19th day of February, A. D. 1920.

. w I WILLIAM H. HOWARD, 

